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Woodall Statement on SOPA

“The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is intended to crack down on ‘rogue’ websites based offshore that illegally distribute pirated content. I agree with its supporters that we must give law enforcement tools to protect American innovation and creativity from theft, but SOPA is not the right tool.”

“SOPA gives broad new authority to the Department of Justice to target rogue sites, but legitimate American sites would also be affected. Subjecting these domestic job creators to unprecedented levels of new criminal liability will stifle innovation, create uncertainty in the technology industry, and stall our economic growth even further. I also believe it is a mistake to put Attorney General Eric Holder in charge of determining which websites are appropriate for American citizens and which are not, which is exactly what SOPA would do. The scope of this bill in its current form is overly broad and its consequences unclear.”

“When it comes to federal legislation being considered on your behalf in Washington that has the potential to undermine our right to free speech and force broad new mandates on America’s job creators, I will always vote to protect our freedom.”